Weeds 101: Broadleaf plantain

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is a perennial that grows best in moist areas with full sun or partial shade, and compacted soil. The broad, oval-shaped leaves have three to five prominent parallel veins and are attached to the root system by a fibrous celery-shaped plant. The upright flowering stalk terminates in a long cylindrical spike head that can range from two to six inches in length. This weed produces a fairly weak root system. Buds grow from the uppermost area of the root, producing a crown that can regenerate “new” plants even when the plant is cut off at or below the soil surface. There are no true stems; rather, the leaves are clustered in a rosette at the base of the plant.

Help your customers control broadleaf plantain with Confront® specialty herbicide or Turflon® Ester Ultra specialty herbicide. For your commercial accounts, recommend Confront to provide postemergence broad-spectrum weed control in established cool- and warm-season nonresidential turfgrasses. Turflon Ester Ultra can be used on commercial and residential sites to control actively growing weeds in ornamental turf. Broadleaf plantain is more easily controlled when applications are made to younger plants in the early spring.

Confront is not for sale or use in Nassau and Suffolk counties, New York. State restrictions on the sale and use of Confront and Turflon Ester Ultra apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions.